ONE lucky designer could already be one step closer to becoming a millionaire.

ONE lucky designer could already be one step closer to becoming a millionaire.

Manchester-based company Urban Splash, which bought Birnbeck Pier and part of the surrounding land last year, organised a competition for people to come up with some bright ideas for developing the area.

The closing date for the contest has been and gone a panel of judges has been chosen to take a closer look at the entries.

It includes representatives from organisations like The Prince's Regeneration Trust, the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) as well as North Somerset councillor Elfan Ap Rees, Birnbeck Pier Regeneration Trust and Friends of the Old Pier Society member Charles McCann and North Somerset Council's director of development and environment, David Turner.

The competition will be run in two stages. A shortlist of six teams will be invited back for second stage interviews and people living in North Somerset will have the opportunity to comment on the finalists' designs. It is expected that an overall winner will be announced in the early months of 2008.

The winning designer will walk away with a prize of £25,000 and will be paid a commission fee for their work, which could reach a figure of up to £1million.

The international architectural competition, which is being run in association with the Royal Institute of British Architects, was open to individuals and teams from anywhere in the world and designs can be purely residential, commercial or a combination of both.